Graffiti gives voices to people who are otherwise discarded or ignored. When I visit a new environment, I like to open myself to the energy that resides there—the gritty, joyful, broken and opinionated are all woven into the fabric of each place. Each visit is a sort of anthropological adventure, learning about the humans who dominated the city walls with these images. Capturing them is a game of chance, exciting to think they might be gone the next day.

Some enjoy debating the merits of graffiti and often the boring question, “is it art?” comes up but I say you can love it or hate–it doesn’t matter. The fleeting expression from another person is all that matters to me. Kristin Marie Steinke